From TV To OTT, How Zee Pioneered Its Way With Path-Breaking Shows Like Tara And Now Dominating The SVoD Market

Zee Entertainment has been part of lives in the form of Zee TV since as early as 1992. It was the first-ever Hindi language channel on national television and has been a game-changer ever since. It started off as a close second to Doordarshan and looked exactly like it. Slowly it transformed into a national media conglomerate and now has reached an international level! It has expanded beyond India and has eight foreign channels as well! It broadcasts in several countries across Europe, the USA, Africa and Southeast Asia!

It started by featuring family dramas and reality TV shows! Many TV actors that are famous today started off their careers with Zee TV shows! It has been in the habit of making pathbreaking shows back then and even now, as it ventured into the OTT space, ZEE5 has managed to back strong, relevant content! Take a look at some of the unique and insanely popular shows Zee TV has produced over the years!

Tara

Zee Tv’s first show to air, Tara was a show about an urban woman and her life as she navigated through all kinds of problems. Starring Navneet Nishan as Tara, this show also saw some great actors like Ratna Pathak Shah, Alok Nath, Amita Nangia Rakesh Bedi among others. The show ran for five long years! Tara was way ahead of its time as it gave us a character whose life was ruled by her own rules and desires. Fans loved the show despite being way ahead of its times!

Hip Hip Hurray

A popular teen drama that revolved around the lives of 12-th graders of a high school. It touched upon the feeling of youth and all the anxieties that come with it. It was based on a group of friends who were all different and unique and their relationships, interactions and worries. Hip Hip Hurray was one of the fun shows and spanned across 80 episodes. It continues to be a high school teen drama that will hit viewers with nostalgia! Many popular faces today were part of it including, Vishal Malhotra, Purab Kohli, Kishwer Merchant, Suchitra Pillai, Bhumika Chawla, Achint Kaur among others.

Astitva Ek Prem Kahani

Asititva was one of the shows that depicted an unlikely romance between a doctor in her late 30s (Dr Simran) and a young photographer (Abhimanyu) in his 20s. They were shunned by society but overwhelmed by the love and decided to marry each other. But things didn’t turn out as planned and Abhimanyu cheats on Simran with his assistant and a lot of other misunderstandings come between the couple. It was an extremely popular show and depicted a woman’s life as a successful professional, a wife, and a mother!

Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo

Zee TV proved that it does not only make shows that cater to the urban population with this outing. This show revolved around Laali, a lower caste girl who was a child bride and was sold off at a young age. It is her journey of overcoming all the battles and also finding true love in the way!

Pavithra Rishta

Manav and Archana are two normal middle-class people who have straight morals and are of a hardworking nature. They are destined to be together but their story keeps taking interesting turns and tests of endurance due to several other people involved. The actors Ankita Lokhande and the late Sushant Singh Rajput became the nation’s favourites with these heartwarming characters.

Besides these successful TV shows. Zee had also backed several other contents across genres and storylines. From supernatural shows like Naagin and Daayan to historical ones like Jodha Akhbar, it had several options for its viewers to choose from. Today, it continues to have several family dramas like Kundali Bhagya, Kumkum Bhagya that are so popular amongst the masses. Some older dramas that deserve a mention are Banoo Main Teri Dulhan, Choti Bahu, Qubool Hai, Jamai Raja which were also fan-favourites during their run time.

After pushing some amazing content through its TV channel, Zee decided to rule over the booming space of OTT with ZEE5. It’s still carrying the legacy of bringing out path-breaking stories. Let’s start with the freshest ones!

Hiss Story

This is a show about a married couple who chose to separate after the husband is found to be having an affair with a younger man. This show not only talks about homosexuality but busts many myths, and shows how you can’t force someone to fall in love. It increases awareness of the topic and makes it seem more real and acceptable. It talks about social pressures, bullying, confusions as adolescents, co-parenting and life beyond marriage.

The Married Woman

Another same-sex love story but situated in the 1990’s Delhi, this show is an adaptation of a very famous book of the same name. It has powerful performances and stunning visuals. It especially shows how a woman’s life changes once she is married and how love comes when least expected!

Code M

A story about an Army lawyer who has a botched case to handle and an ex to work with. Starring Jennifer Winget and Tanuj Virwani, Code M is an army drama that is enrapturing and at the centre of it is Jennifer Winget’s character. It has an intense plot with action scenes and makes for an intriguing watch.

Kaafir

Starring Dia Mirza as a Pakistani-Kashmiri woman who ends up on the Indian side of the Line of Control by mistake. She is held captive by the army and is suspected to be a militant! This touching story is heart-warming and eloquent. The lovely visuals also help!

Now, you can watch these amazing series from the comfort of your home at just Rs 499! ZEE5 has slashed down its annual subscription fee from Rs 999 to 499 to benefit its viewers. Besides all the Zee TV shows and amazing ZEE5 Originals, you can also watch regional content in different languages along with South Korean movies and Hollywood releases!

For more, visit ZEE5.